Matt Seddon – Secondary School Principal
Exposing our students to diverse and rich perspectives, learning how to live…
Matt Seddon, our Secondary School Principal has brought his energy and forward thinking to Bangkok Patana School. Prior to Bangkok Patana, Matt was part of the founding leadership team of Kellett Secondary School and was there for ten years.
“In Hong Kong I had the wonderful opportunity to set up and lead a school which had a very similar heart and mindset to Bangkok Patana through a period of rapid growth. I was excited when the Bangkok Patana role came up. I was absolutely thrilled to be successful. I was attracted to the values, heart and community of Bangkok Patana. When you have already worked in a school with a special community you realise just how precious it is. I can tell by the warm welcome that I have received exactly what this school stands for. The values of Patana are really aligned with my own.”
“Starting a new job, with students and parents at home was challenging for someone like myself who places such importance on relationships, so I have really prioritised getting to know my staff and spending quality time understanding their stories. I am looking forward to doing the same with my students and parents. A school needs children, otherwise, it is just bricks and mortar…although Bangkok Patana does have outstanding facilities! I am incredibly proud all of our staff who are doing such a great job to keep education going seamlessly for our students. I’m incredibly proud too of our students – because learning during this pandemic is difficult, and they are doing brilliantly.”
“When schools, as we know them, first began to emerge in their local communities – the person teaching the children was a literal neighbour; someone who would be seen in the community on a daily basis. The great challenge in international schools is replicating the feel of that community village in a more transient environment. Education is all about relationships – with each other, with staff, with students and parents. I believe that if you prioritise relationships, everything else will follow. If you have trust between students and teachers in an open and caring environment where it is ok to take risks –something special can happen in the classroom; that applies to the relationships between staff and parents as well.”
“The values of community, empathy, hope and perspective sum me up, and speak of what I want in my school. It can be quite challenging to understand everyone’s perspectives in a Secondary school because all the different subject specialists have their own unique way of thinking– it’s important to understand that. I love the three values of the school and the order of them make sense. I have always said that you can learn any subject online these days but it is the magic that you can’t teach online that is so important. Exposing our students to diverse and rich perspectives, learning about relationships, learning how to live! This is what makes a school like Bangkok Patana so special.
“I love watching, playing and coaching football, I am actually a qualified FA coach. I also love playing the Fantasy Leagues despite losing to my wife most years. I love music and play all sorts of instruments, but the guitar is my main one. I recently taught myself how to produce EDM during lockdown and I’ve played in bands all my life. I am passionate about food and I feel like I best understand the culture of anywhere that I visit by eating in local restaurants. My vivid memories of a place always connect back to food, I love Thailand for that.”
“I have made a conscious effort in my last two schools to identify a world record and break it! I have broken two world records, one was the world’s largest game of Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes in the UK. We also did the largest human picture of a boat in Hong Kong, where we got thousands of people together to form the picture. I think it’s a great way to bring the community together!”
